Sting, the British composer and singer, has paid his former Police bandmates Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland more than $800,000 after acknowledging an underpayment of royalties, the BBC reported.
Summers and Copeland sued Sting and his publishing company in September 2025, saying they are owed between $2 million and $10.75 million in unpaid royalties for songs such as «Roxanne» and «Every Breath You Take.» They based their claims on a written agreement to share a percentage of publishing income, usually 15%, as an «arrangers’ fee,» which recognized their contributions to songs even when they did not receive writing credits.
Sting disputes that they are entitled to a share of his income from streaming and downloads. His legal team argues that streaming should be treated as «public performance» rather than a sale, and that the agreement limits payments to royalties derived from «the manufacture of records.»
Summers and Copeland disagree. Their lawyers are seeking to expand the case, arguing that the agreements should apply to modern music consumption, as streaming has largely replaced physical sales.
The Police formed in 1977, became one of the most successful bands in the U.K., and split in 1984. In 2022, Sting sold the rights to his songwriting catalogue to Universal Music Group for an estimated $200 million.
